JUNK
by codychan
Summary: Law had friends in high places. Luffy laid low. In a society where the unfit are deemed 'junk' and dispose of, friendships were a rare blossom. Romance was even rarer. LAWLU. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

**JUNK**

n. undesirable articles considered to be useless and of little value

There were drops of ruby red staining the marble streets; dirty foot prints in the snow.

A beggarly young man was roaming the cold market bazaar. His garbs were tattered and worn, the colors faded and muddied with filth. He had a head of untamed, greasy black hair and a jagged scar beneath one of his wide brown eyes. The only thing clean about him was the straw hat upon his head.

He didn't belong. None of this belonged.

Not in this city: the paradise known as the One Piece.

After the last Great War, the government grew even more prudent. Fear of another war escalated by the day. The rebels had almost won, and though, in the end, the government held its place firmly and claimed victory… the possibility shook them to the core. The what-ifs gathered like a heavy storm cloud above their heads and they took drastic action. New laws were formed, and the preexisting became almost draconian. Alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs were forbidden. Medications (prescribed or over the counter) were monitored with the utmost care. Police forces and security tightened. Biannual house searches were required to assure that no forbidden goods were being harbored away. The government had become an overbearing force looming over the continent.

However, though the laws were brutal and oppressive, life did seem to improve. The cities had become clean and peaceful. Flower gardens, potted plants and parks embellished each neighborhood. The sidewalks and streets were paved with marble and pristine waterways slithered through the city. It was picturesque: the city of dreams. The citizens respected the law and in turn, they were promised a pleasant life. But there were always those who weren't pleased with 'pleasant.' Even after the oppression, the braver folk clung to the beliefs of the rebels before them. They lusted for a liberated country; a wonderland where the common citizen wasn't required to adhere to strict social standards to be accepted.

Those folk were dealt with quickly and accordingly. They had even grown a name for themselves, a name most feared by the passive citizens of One Piece: '_junk.'_

"Junk" consisted of anyone from the simplest lawbreaker to the passionate rebel. None were spared. Age restrictions, gender, nor race… none were spared from the title. Even something as trivial as lineage could haunt you. No bad blood was to be exposed to Grand Line under any circumstance. Once a citizen was filed under "junk," they disappeared. Whether they were sent off to a penitentiary or executed was unknown, and it was a curiosity best left unanswered. So long as the laws were obeyed and life was carried out in the most pleasant of manners, the citizens didn't have to fear what may become of them.

But there were always some stragglers that somehow made it past the defenses and into the cities to sneak a peek at the world they were ostracized from, whether it be to criticize or recruit, or simply to long for a better life. The reason for this young man's visit, however, was unknown, and the citizens were nothing short of alarmed.

On a frigid day in late December, the bloody, bruised young man stumbled on through the streets, pressing his face against the window displays and ogling at the fresh produce and meats displayed on old-fashioned carts. Parents gathered their children to their sides, murmuring warnings as if the man was a flea-ridden dog, stricken with rabies. Bystanders glared and glanced warily, keeping their distance and trying to flee any which way. An invisible barrier surrounded the man, until he forced an elderly woman into it.

She was a kind-hearted, aged owner of a small produce stand. Pity and reluctance gathered in her eyes, forming an almost milky glaze and her whole body went rigid as the boy showed his first attempt at human reaction since he wriggled his way in.

"Hey, grandma," the young man piped up, his voice hoarse from what could only be obvious sickness. He picked up a red apple, the worst of the bunch, bruised and battered, and dug around in his pocket until he pulled up something vaguely shiny. He outstretched his hand to reveal a few tarnished coins, "This is everything I have. Can I buy this apple?"

It was hardly enough: just a couple of pennies. And the old woman's heart twisted painfully into a knot. She knew all too well the pains of hunger. She had been alive before this draconian government reared its ugly head and she knew of the very bottom class. She had been one of them. The citizens had gathered into a sort of audience, tension grew thick in the air and the burning gazes made the merchant squirm. She looked at the battered apple, then up at the poor man, and there was no way she could possibly say no. She took a deep breath and hurriedly shoved a few apples, some potatoes and a couple of oranges into a basket and handed them over the counter.

"Please. Keep your coin and hurry away from here, young man. This is no place for you," the elderly woman pleaded in a hushed voice.

The young man seemed a bit dumbstruck at first, but soon his lips peeled back into the most brilliant smile she had ever laid eyes upon, and the friendly gesture no longer seemed like such a crime.

Until the guards came and the crowd scattered like roaches from a light.

"Halt! We've been looking for you everywhere, Straw Hat. How you got past our defenses is beyond me, but you won't be terrorizing this city any further. I ask that you'll come with us or we will exert force," the head city guard boomed in a voice like thunder. He cast a critical eye towards the merchant, "And you. For assisting an obviously wanted man, we will have to-"

"_Put your arms up," _the young man all but hissed to the old woman, and she found herself ignoring the orders of the guards to listen closely. His wide brown eyes had turned harsh. "_Thank you for helping me! I'll return the favor and save you. Don't worry! I'll get away!"_

And without further words the woman rose up her hands and fearfully backed away from the stand as the man plundered even more produce off of her and turned his head back to the guards defiantly. "Isn't it me who you want? Shishishi, " he rasped, "Come and stop me, stupid~"

"_H-help!" _the elderly woman shrieked in mock terror and ran a safe distance from the stand, and from the boy, exchanging a warm, thankful smile as their eyes caught one last time. "Guards, please! That lad made away with all my produce. It's been a rough harvest as it is, will you please help an old woman?"

The guards appeared at a loss, confusion temporarily impairing their judgments before they cast aside the old woman and chased after their 'real prey.' By the time their senses came about them, the young man rounded the street corner leaving behind liquid garnet in the snow from the wounds on his side.

"Take up arms!" the captain commanded and a small fleet of men tore off down the street with their fingers poised on the trigger. "Don't let that little insect get away!"

The young man's heart pounded with adrenaline as he held the small basket of produce to his chest. He was running on empty. His stomach was hollow and turning itself into knots. His wounds ached and he could feel frostbite setting into his feet. He didn't even know where he was running. He was simply following his instincts. It was either run and survive, or submit himself to an unpredictable fate. He may have been naïve, but he knew damn well that he wasn't welcome in this world.

His eyes darted all around, searching for any possible way to shake off the guards and make it back to the outskirts. If he could just make it to the border, he could rest easy and fill his belly. But everywhere he looked were obstacles. The people lumped together, blocking alleyways and streets as they huddled close to their children and watched like deer in the headlights. He didn't want to hurt innocents, but the sands were running out. He shoved himself through a crowd of people and pushed past into an alleyway as the guards kept on his tail. As the bystanders caught sight of the guns, they shrieked and scurried away towards their home in panics, paving a path towards the young man. And as their numbers thinned, the guards finally got a clear shot.

The young man looked back.

It was an ear-splitting cacophony of sounds. Women screaming, children crying, men shouting, dogs barking. _Bang._

_Produce fell to the ground. Apples and potatoes and oranges rolling off down the marble streets._

_And that ruby red painted the snow._


	2. Chapter 2

**JUNK**

**n. undesirable articles considered to be useless and of little value**

* * *

"Disgusting."

Blood pooled from the chest wound, seeping into the pure white snow and the cracks in the marble pavement. It was sickly. The liquid garnet was sticky and thick. The young man released a pitiful moan that wrenched at the hearts of the bystanders. Tears streamed down the eyes of the children as their parents pushed them through the doors of their homes.

A utopia, they mused. It was a utopia for the privileged, hell for the poor.

A guard shoved his boot into the young man's side, trying to get a rise out of him: a cry, a flinch, anything. But the young man lay still in a pathetic, bloody heap.

"Junk in death as well as in life," the guard sneered, scuffing his bloodied boot off in the snow, "What do you reckon we do with him, captain? We still don't know exactly where he came from."

The guards murmured amongst each other as the crowd of spectators thinned and the man remained ever still. It wasn't until a lanky, dark-haired man in a furred coat stepped in that they turned their attention back to the scene. The stranger pressed two fingers to the jugular, feeling for a pulse and shook his head after a moment, murmuring something under his breath.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing? This is a crime scene!" the guard captain barked, shoving his way through his underlings and pushing the stranger away from the young man. "Who the hell are you to barge into government business?"

The stranger looked up with fierce black eyes, cold as steel, before rummaging around in his pocket to pull out a small piece of paper. He unfolded it neatly and presented it to captain's now-pale face.

_"Trafalgar Law_

_Notable citizen of the Grand Line sector of One Piece._

_His duties as mortician and a renowned surgeon and doctor give him the rights to do as he pleases within the boundaries of his given sector, as well as the outskirts of Grand Line, within reason. If there are further inquiries of his actions, take it up with the local admiral._

_As signed,_

_The World Government"_

"Oh, uh! Mister Law, sir! Of course, it's you! I don't know how I could have ever mistaken you for a commoner. Please, go right ahead. Do as you may. You have interest in this body?" the captain stuttered, tripping over his own tongue as he melted into a nervous puddle of sweat and anxiety. Though Law had been highly esteemed for his work as a doctor, rumors of his cruelty loomed over the sector. He was a cold, blunt man with an icy heart.

"There are no vitals. The kid's dead, as I assume you already know," Law deadpanned, "Assuming that you have nothing better to do with the body, I'll be taking it for my research. I will dispose of it promptly after I am finished with my work."

"Oh," the captain stammered, "Well, thatís all fine then. Iíll report the incident to my superiors and let them know what become of the body. Thought I canít assure they wonít want to look further into his identity-"

Law's sharp eyes cut through the captain like poisonous daggers and he froze in his speech instantly. "That won't be necessary," he all but hissed, "What use is knowing a dead man's name? There are far better things for you worthless guards to do than to write a history book on an individual."

The guards flinched back and looked to their feet as their captain continued to stuff his foot into his mouth. Law was mercilessly honest. He bent down to pick up the corpse bridal-style, blood oozing from the body and leaving abstract spatters in the snow.

"Mister Law, would you like one of my men to assist you in transporti-"

"No. If you weren't paying attention before, I strictly recall mentioning that you have better things to accomplish. My home is a short ways from here, and I am a capable man. Don't underestimate me."

"Y-yes, sir!" the guard captain saluted one last time and bowed politely before barking an order to his men to resume their posts, each one marching off, occasionally casting a curious glance back at Law as he carried out his morbid plans.

* * *

"Wake up."

His head felt light. Everything was dark with the exception of the random blinding flashes of color. He was out of his body, he could only assume. The feeling had left him. His body felt like little more than a husk, numb and hollow.

"Wake up, Straw Hat."

The voice in his head was void of emotion, cold and professional. He wanted it to go away and leave him to rest in this pleasant limbo. But it echoed strong throughout his head, persistent and authoritarian. He felt a groan rumble out of his throat. It was the first spark of feeling he had felt in what seemed to be a while. Then was the piercing ache in his chest, the throe in his side, the emptiness of his stomach and the pounding in his head. An overload of senses hit him all at once and he felt his heart racing as he struggled to keep his eyelids shut tight to ignore the pain. But it was too much; he groaned again and bolted up.

He was in a bed in an unfamiliar room. The sheets were white and rough. The walls were sparse and barely decorated. Everything reeked strongly of bleach and a hint of leftover blood. And then there was the source of the voice, a man leaning over his side with an IV needle readied in his hand.

"Finally. I didn't think you would survive. I'm impressed," the man noted vacantly.

He remembered the voice now. It was a hazy memory, but this man could be trusted. He recalled blood and snow, pain and a cold hand on his neck. Then the words "play dead or die" were murmured in something between a threat and a warning.

This man had saved him.

"Who are you?" the Straw Hat-toting man groaned, trying to sit up, but wincing in pain from his wounds. Bullets were a bitch.

"Trafalgar Law. Stop moving or you'll bleed out," the cold doctor stressed, "And I won't save you this time."

The man sunk into his bed like a rock in water, staring up at the hard white ceiling as he passively listened to the ambient noise: the sound of metal hitting metal, heavy breathing and the whir of a ceiling fan. He felt a tiny prick of pain as Law slid the needle into his skin and right into a blood vessel.

"My name's Luffy, by the way," he offered up in hopes of sparking conversation. He didn't seem to get much of a response out of the doctor. "Why did you save me?"

Law tossed something into the garbage pail beside the bed and sat back in a recliner. Luffy moved his head slightly to get a better view of him. He was a tall man with dark, handsome features. Definitely not someone Luffy had ever been associated with before. The doctor rested his chin in his hand and seemed to ponder for a moment.

"You seem like you could be a valuable asset," he started. "I've heard about you and the rest of your 'crew.' They've been wreaking havoc all across One Piece. The sectors are a mess over the whole ordeal. What's junk like you doing in a place like this?"

Luffy's eyes narrowed slightly at the slur. "Some assholes seperated us! I'm just trying to find my friends. It's not like I want to be a part of this country, I have better plans! Shishishi," he laughed heartily. "Why are you here anyways? You saved me, so you can't be a bad guy... So why are you living in a place like this?"

Law paused. "I have my reasons. I get to do my research here. There's always bodies readily available. Fools who have stumbled too close to the border."

"You don't want to be here though."

The statement unsettled Law. It was true. No matter how convenient it was to live here, there was no happiness in it. But he had far bigger plans as well, and that's where this seat amongst the higher ranks came in handy. Not to mention Luffy, and his crew, if they could find them. The dark doctor neatly crossed his legs and smirked. "You're right. But we'll get into that later. You're of no use to me right now, but that can't be helped."

"I'll be up and back on my feet in two days max," Luffy exclaimed, a fierceness in his eyes. "I still don't know much about you, but I like you. If you help me find my friends, I'll see if I can help you. But I won't be stuck in this bed for more than two days!"

"...Well, that's good. Any longer and I'd have to dispose of you," Law smirked. He stood up from his chair and called in a large, white bear. Luffy cocked his head at the peculiar character, but he couldn't really say he was surprised. He had some pretty bizarre friends himself. "I'm leaving now, but I'm letting Bepo stand guard. Move around too much and you'll die. Remember that."

* * *

Short chapters. Sigh.

I apologize! I have a lot of things on my plate hehe. Enjoy?


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